A method of labeling a package for shipment includes: providing a shipping label having a generally laminar body with a designated tear path matrix extending over at least a major portion thereof, the generally laminar body having a face side on which is printed origination, destination and tracking data, and a bottom side to which is applied a pressure-sensitive adhesive surface; and attaching the shipping label to a surface of the package, via the pressure-sensitive adhesive surface on the bottom side of said label, prior to its shipment via a common carrier. The designated tear path matrix may be a pattern of interconnected regular hexagons, or a pattern of intersecting first and second parallel tear lines. The tear path matrix may be formed by through-hole perforations in the label body, by channels in the label body, or by regions of reduced shear strength in the label body.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A shipping label comprising: a generally flat body having a face side, a bottom side and an outer edge; a tear path matrix comprising channels, wherein the channels include a first channel on the face side and a second channel on the bottom side, and wherein a combined depth of the first channel and the second channel is less than the thickness of the label, wherein the tear path matrix directs a tear toward the outer edge of the shipping label, wherein the tear path matrix separately surrounds a second region and a third region, wherein the first region, the second region and the third region are contiguous, and wherein the first region, the second region and the third region include similar shipping data; wherein the second channel on the bottom side is configured to allow air to escape from the bottom side, through the second channel and out through the outer edge, in response to applying the shipping label to a surface, wherein the second channel in each of the channels increases the adhesion of the shipping label by minimizing pockets of air being trapped under the bottom side, in response to applying the shipping label to a surface; the first region having primary data; the second region having a two-dimensional code; wherein the second region is removed without removing the first region, and an adhesive over the bottom side.
2. The shipping label of claim 1 , wherein the second region is detached from the first region before applying the shipping label to a first area on the surface, and wherein the second region is placed in a second area on the surface.
3. The shipping label of claim 1 , wherein the second region does not include a tear path matrix over the surface area of the second region.
4. The shipping label of claim 1 , wherein the second region comprises at least one of an optically-readable code pattern, a bar code and alphanumeric characters.
5. The shipping label of claim 1 , wherein similar of the shipping data is at least one of encoded, printed and embossed on the first region, the second region and the third region.
6. The shipping label of claim 1 , wherein the tear path matrix comprises at least one of the plurality of holes, perforations, channels and varied shear strength.
7. The shipping label of claim 1 , wherein the tear path matrix comprises a path of lesser tear resistance.
8. The shipping label of claim 1 , wherein the adhesive does not cover the plurality of openings.
9. The shipping label of claim 1 , wherein the first region, the second region and the third region independently adhere to the surface.
10. The shipping label of claim 1 , wherein the adhesive is a pressure-sensitive adhesive.
11. The shipping label of claim 1 , wherein the shipping label is about 6¾ inches by 4½ inches.
12. The shipping label of claim 1 , wherein the first region includes human readable information, the second region includes a bar code and the third region includes a plurality of QR codes.
13. The shipping label of claim 1 , wherein the similar shipping data separately includes information sufficient to identify the same shipment.
14. The shipping label of claim 1 , wherein the shipping data includes invoice data, tracking data, origin data and destination data.
15. The shipping label of claim 1 , wherein the tear path matrix comprises a non-random path.
16. A shipping label comprising: a generally flat body having a face side, a bottom side and an outer edge; a tear path matrix comprising channels, wherein the channels include a first channel on the face side and a second channel on the bottom side, and wherein a combined depth of the first channel and the second channel is less than the thickness of the label, wherein the second channel on the bottom side is configured to allow air to escape from the bottom side, through the second channel and out through the outer edge, in response to applying the shipping label to a surface, wherein the second channel in each of the channels increases the adhesion of the shipping label by minimizing pockets of air being trapped under the bottom side, in response to applying the shipping label to a surface; an adhesive over the bottom side.
17. A shipping label comprising: a generally flat body having a face side, a bottom side and an outer edge; a tear path matrix comprising channels, wherein the channels include a first channel on the face side and a second channel on the bottom side, and wherein a combined depth of the first channel and the second channel is less than the thickness of the label, wherein the tear path matrix directs a tear toward the outer edge of the shipping label, wherein the tear path matrix separately surrounds a second region and a third region, wherein the first region, the second region and the third region are contiguous, and wherein the first region, the second region and the third region include similar shipping data; wherein the second channel on the bottom side is configured to allow air to escape from the bottom side, through the second channel and out through the outer edge, in response to applying the shipping label to a surface, wherein the second channel in each of the channels increases the adhesion of the shipping label by minimizing pockets of air being trapped under the bottom side, in response to applying the shipping label to a surface; a plurality of openings extending through the bottom side to the face side, wherein air escapes from the bottom side, through the plurality of openings and out from the face side, in response to applying the shipping label to a surface, wherein the plurality of openings increases the adhesion of the shipping label by minimizing pockets of air being trapped under the bottom side, in response to applying the shipping label to a surface; the first region having primary data; the second region having a two-dimensional code; wherein the second region is removed without removing the first region, and an adhesive over the bottom side.
18. A method for applying a shipping label to a surface, comprising: applying the shipping label to a first portion of the surface, wherein the shipping label includes a generally flat body having a face side, a bottom side, an outer edge, and an adhesive over the bottom side; removing a second region of the shipping label along a tear path matrix, without removing the first region; and wherein the tear path matrix comprises channels, wherein the channels include a first channel on the face side and a second channel on the bottom side, and wherein a combined depth of the first channel and the second channel is less than the thickness of the label, wherein the second channel on the bottom side is configured to allow air to escape from the bottom side, through the second channel and out through the outer edge, in response to applying the shipping label to a surface, wherein the second channel in each of the channels increases the adhesion of the shipping label by minimizing pockets of air being trapped under the bottom side, in response to applying the shipping label to a surface; wherein the tear path matrix separately surrounds a second region and a third region, wherein the first region, the second region and the third region are contiguous, and wherein the first region, the second region and the third region include similar shipping data; applying the second region to a second portion of the surface.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
November 25, 2013
December 8, 2015
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